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India on Tuesday called out the exclusion from a report of the UN Secretary-General on ISIL of “activities” of several proscribed terror groups in the South Asian region, especially those repeatedly targeting India, saying “selective filtering” of inputs from member states is uncalled for.
“The linkages between groups listed by the UNSC such as the Lashkar-e-Tayiba and the Jaish-e-Mohammed as well as provocative statements made by other terrorist groups operating out of Afghanistan pose a direct threat to the peace and stability of the region,” India's Permanent Representative to the UN ambassador Ruchira Kamboj said.
Speaking at the UN Security Council meeting on ‘Threats to international peace and security caused by terrorist acts' chaired by China, a permanent-member and Council President for the month, Kamboj said, “We, therefore, need to see concrete progress in ensuring that such proscribed terrorists, entities, or their aliases do not get any support, tacit or direct, from the terror sanctuaries, which also are based in the same region.
The UNSC meeting also focussed on the 15th report of the Secretary-General on the threat posed by ISIL (Da'esh) to international peace and security and the range of United Nations efforts in support of member states in countering the threat.
Referring to the SG's report, Kamboj said that “given this background, it is indeed puzzling that the SG's report chose not to take notice of the activities of the several proscribed groups in this region, especially those that have been repeatedly targeting India. Selective filtering of inputs from member states is uncalled for.”
She expressed hope that in future iterations of SG's reports, inputs from all member states would be treated on an equal footing.
Kamboj said India's immediate neighbourhood has also been witness to a spate of terror incidents recently.
The series of attacks at the religious places of the minority community, including the recent attack at the Sikh gurdwara on June 18 in Kabul followed by another bomb that exploded near the same gurudwara on July 27 is “highly alarming”.
She added that the recent findings of the 1988 Sanctions Committee's Monitoring Team's Report point to a significant increase in the presence of ISIL-K in Afghanistan and their capacity to carry out attacks.
ISIL-K, with its base reportedly in Afghanistan, continues to issue threats of terrorist attacks on other countries.
She noted that the SG's report also outlines the fact that terrorist groups with linkages to ISIL and Al Qaida are gaining in strength in Africa, targeting civilians, especially women and children, as well as security forces and UN peacekeepers.
“We appreciate the efforts of the countries of the region to take measures to combat this menace, and call upon the international community and the UN to support these efforts without any caveats,” she said.
ISIL's expansion in Africa deserves the full attention of the international community to ensure that this threat is not seen in isolation, as these have the potential to spill over to other parts of the world as well, she added.
Kamboj noted that it is clear from the report of the Secretary-General that terrorist threats are on the rise globally.
“It is our considered conviction that terrorism in one part of the world is a threat to peace and security of the entire world, and therefore, our response to this global challenge should be unified, coordinated and most importantly effective.”
She emphasised that India has suffered from the menace of terrorism for decades and has learned to counter this threat with resolve and firm determination. “We hope that the international community will stand united in addressing this threat to humanity with zero tolerance.”